Top 10

When I graduated from college almost 10 years ago, I remember breathing a huge sigh of relief. Finally, I thought, I’d arrived at the finish line and could begin the new, exciting chapter in my life. I walked (well, more like rolled, considering I’m in a wheelchair) across that stage to proudly accept my diploma,… More »

My best friend has been on a bit of a homesteading, make-everything-yourself kick lately. Every time I call her and ask what she’s doing, she replies with, “Oh, just whipping up a fresh batch of nut butter!” or “Melting some coconut oil to make my own deodorant. Want me to make some for you?” So… More »

My favorite thing about country music is the focus on storytelling. Country songs are full of vivid characters and tales of heartbreak and hi-jinks. I think this is why, sometimes when I’m listening to country, I start feeling like a different character myself. The funny thing is, it’s not necessarily the character featured in the… More »

It’s beach season! Yay! That means that when I went to the beach last week I got sun poisoning, just like every year. Boooooo.
The whole concept of “sun poisoning” is baffling to me. Human beings have been living, hunting, farming, working, traveling, and just sort of existing in sunlight for our entire existence. More »

We love coconut oil! Not only does it taste oh-so-delicious, it’s also super healthy and can be used in place of many conventional body care products. Since we also love the earth and saving money, swapping out coconut oil for traditional products is a no-brainer. From cooking to skincare to hair treatments to mouthwash, the… More »

Over the weekend, a friend of mine was telling me that she was headed out to run some errands recently when her husband chimed in, “Hey, I think I’ll come with you.” Normally very open to any help she can get while grocery shopping, my friend was shocked when instead of replying, “Sure!”, she found… More »

If you didn’t yet hear the sad news, Luke Bryan fell off a stage while doing some intense hip gyrating during a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina yesterday. He managed to get back up and finish the song, but later took to Twitter to reveal he’d needed to get stitches after the show. Our reaction? More »

Ah, the life of a bartender. It’s a job that requires endless patience, a sharp memory, and a great sense of humor, not to mention serious crowd control skills. Slinging coffee drinks is hard enough; but when alcohol is involved? Every shift is an unpredictable rollercoaster ride. Whenever I’m crammed into a crowded bar like… More »

Now that your undergraduate days are over, it’s time to step out into the big, bad world of adulthood. Jobs! Money! Real Men Who Don’t Smell Like Stale Beer and Frat Houses! But before you slip on your grown up panties and make them dollars, there are some things you should probably know about navigating… More »

When you move into a new house and you’re busy and disorganized and don’t live anywhere near a Target, sometimes intriguing social experiments arise out of nowhere. Case in point: I have lived in my new place for a month and still don’t have a full-length mirror. I just haven’t gotten around to buying one,… More »

Being in a long-term relationship is all about sharing. You share your time, your living space, your most intimate secrets, your friends, your life. When you strike a nice balance in the sharing department, it feels easy and natural. When you share too much, your relationship can veer into codependent territory. When you share too… More »

Yesterday I was taking an early morning walk around downtown Nashville, as I do most days before work. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, lots of people were out jogging, biking, or taking leisurely strolls. I was greeted with many jovial “morning, ma’am!”s. I might have whistled the tune to “Zip-ah-dee-doo-dah” at… More »

Nick and I were at a dinner party recently, and one of the couples there had the most annoying habit: whenever one of them was telling a story, the other would correct them constantly. And these weren’t major, necessary corrections like “no, silly, his death sentence was exonerated!”, they were trivial corrections about tiny, insignificant… More »

A few years ago a study came out that said the anticipation of a vacation actually makes people much happier than the vacation itself, and as much as I enjoy traveling, I must admit I find this to be true. I just booked a trip to France, Switzerland, and Iceland for later this year, and I’m… More »

At this time last year, I was making the longest move of my life so far: from Portland to Nashville. This afternoon, I’m making the shortest: our new place is about two miles from this one. After moving across the country, I assumed this move would be a breeze. I mean, a two-mile move i… More »

Over the weekend, my boyfriend and I were out with some friends when the topic of preferred pizza toppings came up (as it does in every great conversation). One of the guys at the table admitted he had a penchant for anchovy pizzas, but his motives were less than pure: “I order anchovies on my… More »

This morning, just like every other morning, I got into work and meandered over to the company Keurig in desperate need of coffee to find that, yet again, the last person to use the coffee machine didn’t refill the water. How hard is it to put the container under the sink for five seconds? For… More »

The champagne toast is one of my favorite customs. I’m all about celebrating happy moments with sparkly wine, so hey, what’s not to love? But lately I’ve been thinking that the traditional requirements for what constitutes a champagne-worthy moment are way too predictable (not to mention way too rare). Major milestones like engagements, weddings, buying… More »

Leolah Brown, sister to Bobby Brown and aunt to Bobbi Kristina was kicked out of her niece’s funeral yesterday after verbally lashing at Pat Houston Bobbi Kristina’s former manager as well as sister-in-law to Bobbi Kristina’s mother Whitney Houston. Phew. That was a mouthful.